The history of western Africa

277 Pages·2011·5.43 MB·English

by  Mckenna

THE HISTORY OF WESTERN AFRICA
THE BRITANNICA GUIDE TO AFRICA
THE HISTORY OF WESTERN AFRICA
EDITED BY AMY MCKENNA, SENIOR EDITOR, GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY
Published in 2011 by Britannica Educational Publishing
(a trademark of Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.)
in association with Rosen Educational Services, LLC
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First Edition
Britannica Educational Publishing
Michael I. Levy: Executive Editor
J.E. Luebering: Senior Manager
Marilyn L. Barton: Senior Coordinator, Production Control
Steven Bosco: Director, Editorial Technologies
Lisa S. Braucher: Senior Producer and Data Editor
Yvette Charboneau: Senior Copy Editor
Kathy Nakamura: Manager, Media Acquisition
Amy McKenna: Senior Editor, Geography and History
Rosen Educational Services
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Introduction by Monique Vescia
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
The history of western Africa / edited by Amy McKenna.—1st ed.
p. cm.—(The Britannica guide to Africa)
“In association with Britannica Educational Publishing, Rosen Educational
Services.”
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-61530399-1 (eBook)
1. Africa, West--History. I. McKenna, Amy, 1969-
DT475.H577 2011
966—dc22
2010021500
On the cover: A Tuareg herder rests with his camels in Timbuktu, once a
thriving centre of
trade and Islamic scholarship in Mali. © www.istockphoto.com / Alan Tobey
On pages 1, 17, 39, 57, 81, 86, 91, 99, 103, 108, 114, 119, 124, 134, 139, 146,
153, 162, 167, 173, 194, 200, 207: Partial view of Elmina Castle (formerly
called São Jorge da Mina) in present-day Ghana. Issouf Sanogo/AFP/Getty
Images
CONTENTS
Introduction
CHAPTER 1: EARLY HISTORY
Muslims in Western Africa
The Sudan
The States of the Sudan
The Early Kingdoms and Empires of the Western Sudan
The Wider Influence of the Sudanic Kingdoms
Fulani
CHAPTER 2: THE BEGINNINGS OF EUROPEAN ACTIVITY
The Rise of the Atlantic Slave Trade
Anglo-French Competition
Dutch West India Company
The Slave-Trade Era
Pre-European Slave Trading
The Southward Expansion of Oyo
CHAPTER 3: PRE-COLONIZATION DEVELOPMENTS: ISLAMIC REVOLUTION AND
INCREASING EUROPEAN ACTIVITY
The Islamic Revolution in the Western Sudan
Dominance of the Tuareg and Amazigh
The First Fulani Jihad
The Jihad of Usman Dan Fodio
The Jihad of ‘Umar Tal
The Guinea Coastlands and the Europeans
The Abolition of Slavery
The British Presence in Sierra Leone
The British in the Niger Delta
The Fall of the African Kingdoms
CHAPTER 4: COLONIAL ERA
Colonization
Effect of Local Conditions
French Areas of Interest
British Areas of Interest
Royal Niger Company
Claims of Territorial Boundaries
Problems of Military Control
Initial Difficulty of European Administration
Colonial Rule
French Territories
British Territories
Decolonization and the Regaining of Independence
The Emergence of African Leaders
The Formation of African Independence Movements
CHAPTER 5: BENIN
Early History
The Slave Trade
The Kingdom of Dahomey
The French Conquest and Colonial Rule
Decolonization and Independence
CHAPTER 6: BURKINA FASO
Early History
European Exploration and Colonization
Bobo
Independence
Lobi
CHAPTER 7: CAMEROON
Early History
German Kamerun
British Cameroons and French Cameroun
Moving Toward Independence
Ahidjo Presidency